Free Webinar — Tuesday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m. CT — Journey to the Moving Center of Earth — Evolution of the National Spatial Reference System — In 2022, NGS will be replacing the U.S. horizontal and vertical datums (NAD 83 and NAVD 88). This workshop is designed to discuss the need and process for these changes, as well as how that affects surveyors and their access to these datums. Details and Connection Information HERE!

GITA Phoenix 2018 — GITA Returns to Phoenix in a BIG Way, Monday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 6, 2018 — Join us at what is certain to be one of the most unique, informative and worthwhile geospatial events of 2018. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS AND WORKSHOPS HAS BEEN REOPENED through Dec. 8! Submit an abstract HERE!

Inside GNSS Though lawmakers have made clear their interest in having U.S. military receivers incorporate European navigation signals, an agreement to use the encrypted Galileo signal remains elusive and the normal military requirements process could substantially delay implementation.
The issue has taken on new energy now that House and Senate conferees have hammered out their differences and the National Defense Authorization Act is expected to become law. READ MORE

Engineering.comIf you're going to make a big announcement, why not make it at a big event. That's just what Autodesk and Esri did last week at Autodesk University. This year's event was held at The Venetian in Las Vegas and attended by more than 10,000 professionals from the architecture, design, manufacturing and media industries for three days of learning, inspiration and in-depth skills development. READ MORE

State ScoopAmbitious new federal legislation has been introduced that would fill longstanding governance gaps in the world of geospatial information systems.
A pair of bills — S. 2128 and H.R. 4395, also known as the Geospatial Data Act — were highlighted by group of leaders at a GIS Day reception in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday for their potential to complete work that has been underway for nearly a quarter-century.READ MORE

GCNGeographic information systems can help members of Congress better serve their constituents by illustrating and mapping local issues.
Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), for example, used Esri's ArcGIS to develop a set of story maps that helped pass legislation in 2015 to designate the Boulder-White Clouds area in central Idaho as a wilderness preserve.READ MORE

St. Louis Post-DispatchFrom nearly any point on the NGA's south St. Louis campus, we can see the Gateway Arch — that iconic symbol of Thomas Jefferson's vision and St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of our country. As current geographic professionals, that arch is a constant reminder of the intrepid spirit of Lewis and Clark.
St. Louis will once again serve as the launching point — for NGA's next 100 years. And that future is very bright indeed.READ MORE

AgWebA key leader of Google's data and location technologies — including Google Earth and Google Maps — will turn his attention to U.S. farmers at the Farm Journal AgTech Expo in December 2017.
Ed Parsons, the Geospatial Technologist of Google, will give the opening keynote address at the Dec. 11-13 event in Indianapolis, providing a first-hand view of the future of satellite technology.READ MORE

GPS WorldWe've all heard the mess that Puerto Rico has become following hits by, first, hurricane Harvey, and then again, by Maria a few weeks later — never mind the devastation in many of the nearby other Caribbean islands. Restoring even electrical power on Puerto Rico seems to be taking months, and many people are still subsisting on supplies flown in by the U.S. government.
READ MORE

Directions MagazineRemote sensing with a small, unmanned aerial system can be used for a number of applications, including (but not limited to) security services, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, crop management and other agricultural activities, disaster management and emergency response, environmental monitoring, surveying, journalism, business and real-estate applications, and videography. READ MORE

GeoConnexion The successful launch of the first European weather satellite, Meteosat, on Nov. 23, 1977, "provided meteorologists with new and powerful tools: Satellites open up a window to almost continuous weather monitoring around the world." This was how the German Meteorological Services described the start of satellite-based weather observation in Europe.
READ MORE